[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORY OF V.G. STRONG

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2005

  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding 
citizen of the Fourth District of Texas, Vilo Glen (V.G.) Strong of Mt. 
Pleasant, who passed away recently after living 92 wonderful, happy 
years. V.G. was an active and beloved member of his community and will 
be missed by all those who knew him.
  Born in Nebraska to Walter and Mary Schneider Strong, V.G. received 
his Bachelor of Science degree at Colorado College and taught high 
school in Eckley, CO. After marrying Doris Wells in 1938, he returned 
to college to receive his Masters degree in 1941. During World War II 
he was a civilian chemist with the War Department in Pine Bluff, AR, 
and moved to Mt. Pleasant, TX, in the late 1940s to work for the Cotton 
Belt Railroad. When offered a promotion with the Cotton Belt in another 
state, V.G. turned down the opportunity and found a new career as a 
chemical engineer at Lone Star Steel, where he worked twenty years 
before retiring.
  V.G. and his wife of 66 years, Doris, have been active members of the 
Mt. Pleasant First Presbyterian Church for over 57 years. V.G. served 
as a deacon and an elder. He was also active in the Lions Club for over 
50 years.
  V.G. and Doris developed a passion for traveling after his 
retirement, visiting more than sixty countries and every continent 
except Antarctica. Their latest adventure was to Scotland and the 
Shetland Islands with their grandson and his wife just last August. 
Also in retirement, V.G. turned a hobby into a part-time job. His love 
for restoring antique lamps resulted in restoring or converting lamps 
for numerous East Texas antique dealers and customers.
  Most importantly, V.G. had a great love for his family--his wife 
Doris, sons Jerry and Paul, and five grandchildren. One of his 
grandchildren, Katie Strong, who is director of the Congressional and 
Public Affairs Division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce here in 
Washington, shared with me her admiration for her grandfather. Katie 
noted that V.G. was a man of his word who helped so many in need--
social outcasts, young people who needed encouragement, young adults 
who needed guidance and direction.
  ``While his life was not extravagant, it was good, it was full, and 
most importantly, it was honest. We could all try to be a little more 
like the man his grandchildren called Pop-Pop,'' Katie wrote.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize this respected and beloved 
citizen of the Fourth District of Texas and ask my colleagues to join 
me in paying our last respects to Vilo Glen Strong. May the memory of 
his wonderful life and his legacy of kindness continue to bring comfort 
to his family and friends.

                          ____________________